


Battle of Hearts

by cherylblossomtopaz



Category: Riverdale (TV 2017), Riverdale - Fandom
Genre: All-Female World, Cheather, F/F, Family Drama, Quasi-bachelorette rip-off but not cheesy, Royal Wedding, Throne Wars, cheronica, choni, royal au, tournament
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2019-05-16
Packaged: 2020-02-09 10:45:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 8
Words: 17,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18636568
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cherylblossomtopaz/pseuds/cherylblossomtopaz
Summary: In a universe with all women (and therefore all lesbians)...witness an intense battle to win the heart of the breathtaking Princess Cheryl Marjorie Blossom, heir to the Dale River Queendom.My idea of a world in which Cheryl has many eligible noblewomen vying for a place beside her on the throne.





	1. Welcome to Dale River

Every year in Dale River Queendom, there exists a joust where the competitors fight over who will win the heart of the princess, showcasing their physical strength and valiant grace. Every year Cheryl admires the brave women fighting over her, and even lays down to bed with less than pure thoughts about the particularly well-figured ones. 

Heather Montgomery of Lake Bay, with her honey-gold hair and sky-blue eyes. 

Veronica Gómez of Banderas, with her deep gaze and smirking lips to die for. 

Antoinette Topaz III, the crowd favorite, somewhat of a celebrity in the minor part of the queendom she rules. Cheryl has always thought of the girl as cocky, but it turns her on all the same. Smooth face, glowing eyes, arched eyebrows, elegantly braided hair, bronze skin, muscular arms and toned abdomen. 

It’s Cheryl’s favorite day of the year. 

Cheryl knows she has to choose a partner at the next gathering or else the Council will start to talk. It’s her 21st birthday in September, meaning the coronation is just around the corner. She’s dreamed of having the same crown resting on her head that her now-gone mother did before her, of glimmering silver and intertwined roses. If she cannot settle on one woman to have her heart, the Council will direct the succession to her closest relative, her elder third-cousin Paulina Charlotte “Polly” Smith Blossom. 

Cheryl cannot and will not allow that to happen. The Smith Blossoms may be of her blood, but they were not born to rule. She, on the other hand, was born exactly for that purpose. 

-

The day of the jousting tournament arrives. Royal assistants tend to Cheryl’s every move, making sure her red gown flatters her figure at every curve, her shiny hair flows smoothly behind her ears, her face is bright and rosy. Eventually Cheryl calls them off and sits alone in front of the mirror. She takes a deep breath in and lets it out shakily.

Today’s the day. Today’s the day she chooses the woman that she’ll spend the rest of her life with. Her forever partner, the mother of her children. The queen consort to her queen regnant, to look over the Blossom heirs for as long as their dynasty lasts. 

She stands slowly, smoothing down her gown and slipping into her classic heels. 

-

“Ladies and gentlewomen, welcome to the one-hundred and twenty-fourth annual Jousting Tournament of Dale River Queendom.” The announcer’s voice booms over the loudspeaker.

Cheryl takes her seat on the throne, Paulina and Elizabeth by her side and Lady Alice Smith standing behind them. 

“Without further ado, I ask that you please turn your attention to Her Royal Highness, the Princess Cheryl Marjorie Blossom, heir to Dale River and all adjacent lands, long may she rule,” the announcer finishes.

“Long may she rule,” echoes the crowd eagerly.

Cheryl smiles for the audience and stands on two solid feet. “Thank you, Madame Allensworth. It is my honor and privilege to announce that this is the year I will be choosing one woman to be my lifelong partner,” she says as the crowd murmurs in surprise excitement, “one woman to sit on the throne next to me until the end of her days.”

As the crowd whoops in joy, Lady Alice whispers a congratulations to the standing princess, “Good luck, my sweet dove.”

Cheryl smiles. “I can only hope to one day have the same romance you and Aunt Gladys had. Holy Mother, bless her beloved soul.”

Lady Alice nods in appreciation.

Cheryl silences the crowd gracefully. “Now, I would like the tournament to commence. After the rounds are over, I will select three maidens to accompany me to a palace feast. From then I will speak privately to each of you, get to know you more in depth—and you me—and inform you of my decision.” She sits down and adjusts the miniature bronze tiara on her head. “Best of luck to all of you fine ladies competing today. May the grandest woman win.”

The announcer waits a minute for the buzz in the audience to settle down. “Our first joust will be between Josephine Samuels of Highwater and Veronica Gómez of Banderas. Ladies, please step forward.”

Cheryl admires the two women at the platform below her, Lady Samuels’ dark skin and bright eyes and Lady Gómez’s raven hair held back by a pearl band.

Cheryl knows her mother would want her to consider Veronica seriously. A marriage to the heir to Banderas and Gómez Industries would secure an alliance with Spanish-speaking territories across the queendom.

The first joust goes smoothly, with Lady Gómez beating out Lady Samuels by a tad.

Cheryl raises an eyebrow at Veronica as she steps off from the platform, a smug grin plastered across the face as she swaps out her combat boots for black heels. Upon catching the princess’ gaze, Veronica shrugs, feigning disinterest. If Cheryl weren’t seated firmly on her throne, she’d swoon. 

“Second, may I have Heather Montgomery of Lake Bay and Evelyn Cunningham of Westwood onto the platform?”

Cheryl’s heart does somersaults in excitement. Heather has been a favorite of hers ever since Penelope and the elder Lady Montgomery fixed royal play-dates for the two girls growing up. 

Evelyn is a new contestant. Cheryl’s eye catches on the girl’s bright orange hair, noting that it would be advantageous in keeping the Blossoms’ signature red manes in the family. 

Heather wins the duel, of course, as she does each year. As she leaves the ring, she flashes a wink at the princess, nonchalantly flexing her strong muscles as she rolls up the sleeves of her fencing outfit. 

Cheryl’s mind becomes hazy with attraction.

The next few jousts run unremarkably, with none of the fighters being exactly Cheryl’s taste. She’s about to call it off and request Heather and Veronica meet her in the parlor to be brought to the royal feast when the announcer juts into her thoughts. 

“Last but certainly not least, Valerie Trent of Danforth facing off with Antoinette Topaz, third of her name, daughter of Lady Antoinette the Magnificent from our adjacent queendom.” 

Daughter of Antoinette the Magnificent. Now that is a name Cheryl can get behind. Everyone in Dale River queendom regards the elder Antoinette with the highest reverence. Her beauty and dignity are incomparable to any other’s. As Cheryl sees the younger Antoinette prepare herself for the duel, buckling her shoes, licking her lips, and smoothing her hands over curved hips, she has to wonder what else the Antoinettes are magnificent at. 

Lady Trent is lovely, with warm green eyes and elegant hair, but Cheryl’s—and the whole audience’s—attention is glued to the Topaz like flies on a trap.

Lady Topaz has always put up a fair fight when it comes to the yearly tournaments, but it’s clear that she has put in extra training for this year’s joust. Her movements are bold, swift, and unpredictable. The sheer swinging of her sword leaves Cheryl without breath. 

The fight ends within a few minutes, with the Topaz barely breaking a sweat, in contrast to the princess who prays to a nameless god that her perspiring can’t be seen through the gown.

“An impressive day of jousting on all accounts,” the announcer remarks. “I offer a royal thank you on behalf of our queendom to all our fine participants. The Princess will now invite three of the winners into the palace for a feast.”

Cheryl stands tall, with Blossom-tier posture and a serious face. “Thank you. All of you ladies should be proud of your performance. I wish the best for every woman here today.” She clears her throat. “I am extending a royal invitation to the following three competitors: Heather Montgomery of Lake Bay—”

Polite applause turns into cheers as the Lake Bay supporters clap Lady Montgomery on the back.

“Veronica Gómez of Banderas—”

Cheryl sees Veronica’s pale-powdered face light up in pleasant surprise. Hermione Gómez whispers advice in Veronica’s ear and Veronica just nods. Cheryl tries not to seem so put off by the gesture, making a mental note to ask Veronica about it later. Hermione Gómez is something else...a total MILF, in the words of the lower class girls in the queendom. 

“And lastly, Lady Antoinette Topaz the Third. That is all,” Cheryl adds, but the crowd would not be able to hear it had she been mic’d a thousand times. Hurrahs break free at the daughter of the esteemed Antoinette Magnificent being given a closer chance at the Princess’s heart.

Cheryl takes a deep breath in and shakily lets it out. 

Let the trial commence.


	2. And Then There Were Three

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> HRH Cheryl dines exquisitely with the three ladies, learning more about them.

Once the three ladies are given time to change into clean gowns, Cheryl orders her assistants to gather them into the parlor for a few words. 

She sits patiently on her grand silver chair, tapping her fingers against it rhythmically. 

“Your highness,” a royal assistant says, approaching Cheryl and curtsying politely. “Can I bring you a pot of tea?”

“No, Madame Lucy. Thank you.” She tries to calm her own heartbeat at the thought of picking a new bride within days. 

“Forgive me, Princess. You seem on edge.”

“You’re not wrong, Lucy,” Cheryl admits. “I must confess I feel rather anxious about making the decision.”

She smiles. “These ladies are among the finest we have, I’m sure of it. You’ll know what to do. All you have to focus on right now is having a calm conversation.” She looks up. “Oh good, there is Madame Alexandra leading them down the staircase. They should be here within moments,” she says in a hushed voice. 

Cheryl breathes in and out, gripping her chair more solidly and brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. 

Lady Gómez is the first to step into the parlor, in an emerald gown with a silver belt wrapping tastefully around it once. She approaches Cheryl’s chair and curtsies. “Princess Cheryl. It is an honor.”

Cheryl sits up straight. “The honor is mine, Lady Gómez.”

Veronica blushes. “Please, call me Veronica. Lady Gómez is my mother.” Her and Cheryl share a giggle. “You look marvelous tonight, Princess. As always.”

Cheryl beams. “As do you. Please, take your pick of a seat facing me.” She gestures royally at the three across from her. 

Veronica curtsies once more and chooses the leftmost plush armchair. 

Lady Montgomery is the second to enter, her golden curls falling cleanly around her face, sporting a magnificent blue-lilac dress to compliment her eyes. “Princess Cheryl,” she says, nodding her head in Cheryl’s direction before taking a seat two over from Veronica, sizing up her competition distantly. 

Cheryl brightens at the appearance of her old friend. “Heather, it’s lovely to see you again. And in such good form.”

Heather winks. “Et tu, chérie.”

Cheryl blushes to match her hair, clearing her throat as Veronica watches in jealousy, opening her mouth to say something when—

“Not to fret, your royal highness,” a voice calls at the door, Cheryl looking up to meet the girl’s eye. Antoinette Topaz stands, at least a few inches taller than her 5’3” in heels, hands on either side of the doorframe. “I’ve arrived.”

Cheryl darts her tongue out to make sure she isn’t drooling. The girl looks absolutely stunning, in a deep lavender gown with diamonds by her neckline. She sure cleans up nice, the Princess notes shakily. 

So as to not let on to the effects the girl has had on her, Cheryl rolls her eyes as if on cue. “Antoinette Topaz,” she says slowly. “The third.”

Antoinette takes a few steps forward before offering a curtsy—lingering bent over a bit too long with her cleavage on display for the princess—and taking the last plush armchair directly across from Cheryl.

“Heir with the good hair,” Antoinette says in return, folding her hands together patiently. “How do you do on this fine evening?”

“Glorious,” Cheryl answers, taking in the sight of the three women before her. Any one of them would look capable by her side on the throne, but who would prove to be the most suited to the young Blossom? “You put up a valiant fight, Lady Topaz. You all did. May I ask what your inspirations were?”

“My sister,” Heather answers quickly. “Ella is turning six this year, and I aim to be a worthy role model for her and the children everywhere in Lake Bay.”

Cheryl’s heart warms. “Your mothers had the baby.”

Heather chuckles. “Yes, I guess they did.” Her blue eyes lock with Cheryl’s, glimmering slightly in the well-lit parlor. “We certainly have a lot to catch up on.”

Cheryl smiles softly. “Indeed.”

Veronica interrupts. “If I may, your highness. My inspiration was you, of course.”

Antoinette rolls her eyes. “Of course it was,” she mutters under her breath. 

Veronica shifts in her seat. “What was that, Lady Topaz?”

“Nothing that concerns you, Veronica,” Antoinette returns smoothly. “Your highness,” she addresses the princess. “How elegant you appear in that gown. Was it made locally?”

“More so than you’d think,” Cheryl responds. “My cousin, the Lady Elizabeth Rowena Smith Blossom, gifted it to me for my birthday this year.”

Veronica murmurs in admiration. “I’d love to hire her. In Banderas, stylists for us noble ladies get a fine fortune. Perhaps my mother, the elder Lady Gómez, could speak with Elizabeth.”

Cheryl nods. “That I can arrange. I am sure she would take joy in the opportunity.”

Heather shifts her heels on the ground, getting the princess’s attention. “On what will we be dining, your highness?”

“Jacqueline!” Cheryl calls without turning her head to the next room over. “You heard Lady Montgomery’s question.”

The assistant nods. “Yes, Princess. The palace chefs have prepared for the four of you glimmering ladies a meal that I think will quite satisfy you. Come see for yourselves, if you please.” She waves a hand into the hall, letting Cheryl walk on carpeted floor first and the ladies follow behind her, side by side.

Upon reaching the royal dining room, Cheryl smiles smugly. “First course, pear and gorgonzola arugula with olive oil imported from Greece,” she herself answers, skillfully recognizing her country’s products and its partners’. “Second, I assume a fresh catch will be introduced?”

The table assistant nods. “Yes, my princess. A sesame-glazed Mahi, our women just caught it this morning.” 

“That was my mothers’ favorite,” Cheryl says, bowing her head as the assistants whisper a ‘bless the Queen’s soul’ in unison. Cheryl walks to the head of the long mahogany table, taking her seat on another silver chair. “I take it the third course will be a rosemary crusted chicken parmesan with homemade linguini and garden tomato?”

“Yes, your highness,” another assistant answers, carrying a straw basket to the table. “With garlic bread and butter, as you requested it.”

“Dear God,” Veronica whispers amongst the three ladies waiting to be seated. “Banderas is good, but not this good.”

Heather and Antoinette murmur in stunned agreement.

“Dessert will be an assortment,” the head chef says, streaming through the entryway with a silver platter in hand and reaching it out to the princess. “Have a taste prior.”

Cheryl wears a slight smile as she reaches a finger to a moist mini sponge-cake with whipped topping and a single Maraschino cherry, wiping a bit of cream and bringing it to her lips, licking it greedily with a light moan before plucking the cherry off of the cake and biting it off, sticking the stem in her mouth and seconds later displaying it tied on her tongue. She removes it from her mouth, placing it on a white napkin and looking up at the three ladies. “Divine,” she says sultrily, licking her lips clean.

Antoinette visibly gulps.

“Please. Have your seats. I’m starved.” Cheryl gestures at the tall chairs around her. 

As they begin to eat, Cheryl opens conversation once more. “You ladies come from places of high honor. This I know for certain. But I don’t know much about your lives themselves. Tell me something each.” She motions towards Heather. “Lady Montgomery, why don’t you begin?”

Heather hides her nervousness and breathes in deeply. “With pleasure, your highness. Over the past hundred years our territory, Lake Bay, has been deteriorating. It is not something that much of the queendom is aware of, but due to environmental effects, the water areas are worse shape than they have been in quite some time.”

Veronica, Antoinette, and the princess all listen attentively. 

“This is why I have been working closely with the legal council to implement several laws on environmental protection,” Heather explains. “I have also started a clean-up program, one of the many community service options available to girls of all ranking.”

Cheryl beams. “How insightful, Lady Montgomery. Your actions inspire me so.” She turns to Veronica.

Veronica smiles genuinely, nervous about gaining the princess’s favor. “Ever since I was little, my mother and grandmother used to sing to me each night before bed. I take pride in being bilingual and, if I may, vocally capable. That is why I sing and act in skits for the young girls of Banderas in both English and Spanish on a weekly basis.” She raises her eyebrows. “I could perform here at the palace, Princess, if it would please you.”

“I thank you sincerely for your talents, Veronica,” Cheryl says. “Though I would not expect you to prepare something for myself on such short notice. I am pleased at your recognition of linguistic importance. My mother, the Queen Penelope, taught me French from a young age.” She focuses on Antoinette. 

An awkward period of silence follows. “Forgive me, Princess Cheryl. It seems your beauty has left me breathless,” she only half-jokes. 

The Princess blushes. “Th-Thank you. Please, tell me about yourself.”

“That’s no easy question,” Antoinette says with a chuckle. “For me, it was hard to live in the shadow of my mother, Antoinette the Magnificent. I’m sure you can relate,” she offers to the Princess. 

Cheryl nods. “Yes, Lady Topaz. When my mother was crowned, after my nana the Queen Roseanne died, I remember feeling so lost.” She looks down sadly. “Who was I? What did I want for the queendom? Was I fit to rule at all?”

“You were, my heir,” Veronica encourages her. “You are.”

Antoinette clears her throat, focusing on Cheryl. “With due respect, Princess, you’ve heard of our lives. What about your own? How are your dreams and desires?”

Cheryl looks taken aback. “You’d be surprised how few people have asked me that given my position in this queendom,” she says softly. “I think that most of them believe I am a bit too...fiery to rule. That I can’t settle down. Part of me wonders if they don’t wish that the council could rule in my stead even after I take a wife.”

“How awful, to have a council that doesn’t trust you completely, my princess,” Heather responds. “I will make sure that never again happens, if you do me the honor of selecting me as your queen consort.”

Cheryl brushes a cloth napkin across her lips. “I think it’s time for dessert.”

-

Once the staff has cleared the table, Cheryl informs Lady Topaz, Lady Montgomery, and Lady Gómez that she intends to retire for the night. “It has been a pleasure, ladies. I have become quite tired from the day, and I am sure you all need rest after the tournament and dining.” She waves at three assistants who quickly attend at her side. “These three maidens will lead you to your guest chambers. Should you require anything, and I mean anything, do not hesitate to ask them for assistance. That is what they are here for. Right, girls?”

They curtsy, answering with “yes, my princess” and “yes, your highness,” enthusiastically.

“Good!” Cheryl says, clasping her hands together. “If you’ll excuse me, I’m up to my royal chambers. I’ll visit you all individually when the sun comes up.” She starts her descent up the spiral staircase, alone in her thoughts at last. 

In her chambers, the Princess flops onto her bed immediately, exhausted from the day behind her. How on earth was she going to choose between three gorgeous, polite, eager women?

She strips out of her dress into her nightgown and crawls under the covers, reaching to her bedside table to wipe off her makeup. 

Lying on her fluffed pillows, she sighs. Heather, her childhood friend. Veronica, an advantageous partner. Antoinette, the daughter of near-royalty, who she realizes she doesn’t know enough about just yet. How can she make a decision in a few sunrises if she doesn’t truly know one of the women? 

She resolves to go to Antoinette’s chambers first in the morning. If there is something setting Antoinette apart from the rest of the women, she needs to know it sooner than later so she can decide. 

The Queens of Dale River are supposed to be virgins at the time of marriage, to remain pure, but Cheryl’s sure that somewhere in her line that rule has been broken many times. 

It’s not as if Cheryl’s prudish ways have prevented her from having sex; no, Cheryl has just been holding out for a woman she truly feels a connection with. Someone she can trust. 

There have been suitresses, several in fact, at the palace door looking for the chance to court the young princess from the minute she turned seventeen. Lady Alice and cousin Polly turned each and every one away out of protection for the princess, with cousin Elizabeth often running after the prettier girls for a half-tryst behind the palace gardens.

When Cheryl was around 12 years of age and her mother was still alive, the Queen Penelope had warned her to guard her heart seriously. “You are the most important person in the world to me, sweetheart,” she’d said. “You are my heir.” Cheryl’s smile had faded. “But more than that, you are my intelligent, charismatic, beautiful daughter.” Cheryl’s smile returned. “And one day, all the girls in the queendom are going to see that...and they will come running.”

Cheryl’s nose had wrinkled. “No they won’t!”

Penelope’s face had held the tiniest grin. “Yes, they will,” she’d said patiently, nodding. “You’re a Blossom. It’s in your blood. Our genes are like no other.” She’d finished braiding young Cheryl’s hair in front of the vanity mirror. “You have me to thank,” she says jokingly. “And you’ll have me to shoo away the girls who aren’t good enough for your heart. Your mind. Your body.” She kisses Cheryl’s forehead gently. “Your soul.”

Of course, the queen’s tragic death meant she was not, in fact, around to witness Cheryl’s suitresses knocking, though Lady Alice certainly sent them fleeing. 

Cheryl smiles a bit at the memory.

It’s been a long day, and the princess is stressed beyond belief. She wills herself to stay awake as temptation creeps into her brain. What it would be like to rip the fencing suit off of Heather and feel the wrath of her strong arms pushing her onto the bed. To sneak into Veronica’s chambers, wake her, and unbutton the navy silk nightgown she certainly wore to bed. To have Antoinette in her lap, shirt off and breathing heavily, throbbing above her. 

She finds that the last woman turns her on beyond belief. 

Antoinette, in her bright white fighting attire, complete control over her weapon. Antoinette, in a luscious lavender dress, strolling into the parlor as if she were already royalty.

The princess feels a pang of arousal down below. Realizing she hasn’t masturbated in days--since she’s been so busy supervising the preparation of the palace to host the girls for the tournament--she reaches her right hand into her lace panties and breathes out in a soft moan. She pulls them down off her legs and flings them on the floor. What it would be like to have Antoinette on top of her, bringing her the euphoria she gets most nights by herself. She lets her mind wander, working through one, two, three peaks of pleasure. And then she’s asleep in exhaust.


	3. Antoinette's Chambers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Cheryl visits Lady Topaz bright and early in the morning.

The next morning, she wakes by herself around 8:30am, bright and early, convincing herself that she’s ready to face the day. 

She strolls to the wide windows and pulls apart the deep red curtains, allowing light in. 

As she sits at the vanity, combing her hair into braids, she plans what she’ll talk to Antoinette about. Fifteen minutes after dressing and applying light makeup, calling off all help from assistants, she walks down the hallway to Antoinette’s door. 

Taking a deep breath in and out, she raises her hand and knocks twice at the mahogany door. 

It budges. She realizes Antoinette must have left the door open before falling asleep. With no answer, she knocks once more before exerting her royal presence and pushing the door open slowly. 

“Lady Topaz?” She says, tapping on the wall to open the lights. “La—oh.” Her breath leaves her as her eyes fall on the bed. Antoinette remains fast asleep, snuggled between the thick down comforter and silk sheets. Cheryl smiles a bit at how cute the girl appears, almost smaller than she’d expected without heels or posture. She walks carefully to the edge of the bed, looking dreamily at the girl’s smooth face and long eyelashes, eyebrows knitted up in a dream that leaves her murmuring ever-so-slightly. 

She suddenly feels wrong for intruding and decides to let the girl wake. Turning around to the door, her feet cue a creak in the wooden floor. She cringes. 

The bedcovers rustle from behind her. “Princess Cheryl,” a raspy morning voice calls her from the bed. “To what do I owe the honor?”

Cheryl’s heart melts at her voice. “My sincerest apologies, Lady Topaz.”

“Antoinette.”

“Antoinette,” Cheryl corrects herself, sitting on the edge of the bed and allowing the woman to button up her black nightgown. “My sincerest apologies, Antoinette. I truly believed you’d risen.”

Antoinette laughs, ending in a groan that leaves Cheryl pulsing. “It’s quite early, your highness.” She turns her head to the window. “I can tell by the position of the sun.”

Cheryl’s eyebrows raise. “Really?”

The corners of Antoinette’s lips turn upwards in a smirk. 

Cheryl scoffs jokingly. “You dare insult the future queen by jesting so?”

“It wasn’t all a lie,” Antoinette continues, sitting up in the bed and propping herself up on pillows. “My mother, the Magnificent, made sure my sister and I were adept in the natural sciences.” 

“Is that meant to impress me?” Cheryl plays, crossing her arms. 

Antoinette squints. “That depends on whether it worked, your highness.”

Cheryl thinks for a moment before changing the subject. “Tell me about your other mother.”

Antoinette’s face falls. “Your highness...forgive me. It is hard to speak about her without breaking down into tears. She died years ago.”

Cheryl reaches a hand out, placing it over Antoinette’s warm one. “You are excused. I only wanted to know more of you.” She smiles kindly. “Tell me about yourself, then.”

Antoinette’s breath hitches. “Wh-what do you want to know?”

Cheryl removes her hand. “I feel as though you aren’t opening up to me. At dinner last night, you...pivoted questions. What are your hobbies? Dreams?”

“Of course, my princess,” Antoinette replies, nodding. “My dream is to help my people see the good in this world and defend them from the bad. As for a hobby, well, I love to bake.”

Cheryl beams. “How wonderful! What in particular?”

“Pastries,” Antoinette continues. “All sorts of them. And I love a good fresh-made pie.”

“Cherry,” Cheryl says with a smile.

“That would be my favorite,” Antoinette says, eyes alight.

Cheryl breaks their gaze, feeling fuzzy inside. “But, you’re Lady Topaz. Surely you had any number of chefs ready to prepare instead of yourself?”

“My mother Antoinette called them off. Only asked of them for cleaning,” Antoinette explains. “She said she wanted my sister and I to be expert chefs by ourselves for our own benefit.”

“Admirable,” Cheryl claims, wishing her mother had done something like that for her. “I--”

“With respect, I was not finished, my heir,” Antoinette says. “She indeed stated that it was so that my sister and I could do it ourselves. But I could always tell that the reason she helped us be so self-sufficient was that in case we were without staff, we could manage.”

Cheryl looks confused. “How do you mean?”

“Our economy struggled now and then. Even us noble ladies weren’t far from at stake had we faced falter for a couple more years. We may have had to fire staff in that case. And there—there was also the concern of my future.”

“Your future?” Cheryl echoes, entranced. 

Antoinette smiles. “You’re looking at it. I have the responsibility of all Topazes before me. Still, my mothers feared that if I didn’t marry a woman of high rank, with wealth, well...money runs out, my princess.” 

Cheryl stays silent. 

“You must think of me some kind of gold digger, Princess,” Antoinette says, staring down at the covers. 

“Au contraire,” Cheryl rejects. “It’s smart. Prudent, even. I—” she hesitates before shakily admitting her next words. “—could use a woman like that here at the palace. On my adjacent throne.”

They maintain each other’s stare for a moment too long. Antoinette clears her throat, opening her mouth to speak. “Look, your highness. I’m the first, right? The first you’ve visited this morning?”

Cheryl nods anxiously. 

Antoinette shuffles out of bed, offering a hand for Cheryl to lift her up to a standing position. “This I ask of you: come back to my chambers once you’ve talked to the others. I can see we still have things left to talk about.”

“As you wish, Lady Topaz,” the princess responds, fixing her red locks over her shoulder. “I will return soon.”


	4. Besos Por Dos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl visits Veronica's chambers.
> 
> ...and bickers with cousin Polly.

“Come in,” Veronica’s voice calls, immediately returning to a hummed song. “Your highness.” She curtsies as Cheryl closes the door behind herself. 

Cheryl bows her head. “Veronica. I hope you slept well.”

Veronica pushes a comb through her hair, gathering light pink ribbons to tie it up. “Yes, my princess. Very well. Give my regards to your bedstaff.”

Cheryl smiles. “That I will. Veronica, I was wondering...if we might have a word. Please, sit.”

They sit on the wooden bench in front of the window. 

“Your presence is my honor, Princess. Ask me whatever you like,” Veronica tells her. 

“Thank you, Veronica. I wish to know, if you please, what the elder Lady Gómez whispered in your ear after you won a place at my table?” Cheryl finally asks. 

Veronica maintains a sturdy face. “My mother and I have always been quite close. I assure you, my princess, that her whisper was but a congratulations on the placing.”

“On the placing, yes,” Cheryl returns, not entirely convinced. “And how has it been thus far? Is the palace to your liking?”

Veronica nods eagerly. “It has far exceeded my desires.”

Cheryl’s breath hitches. “And I?”

“Pardon, your highness?”

“Have I been to your liking?” Cheryl asks. 

Veronica leans forward on the bench, staring deep into her own reflection in Cheryl’s brown eyes. “You, my princess, have even further exceeded my desires.”

Cheryl’s heart thuds. Don’t do it, she hears a voice inside her head. Don’t kiss her.

Luckily Veronica backs up and crosses her arms with a smirk. 

The Princess clears her throat. “I was...also wondering if you could tell me about any past relationships of yours?” She asks tentatively. 

Veronica’s brow furrows. “Quite a question, my princess. Well, I must admit I’ve had my share of romantic partners in Banderas.”

Cheryl tries to keep a neutral face. “Oh?”

Veronica smiles. “Yes, your highness. Banderas is a very lively place. With all the festivals and yearly events we have, it’s very easy to meet people.”

“Sounds like a dream,” Cheryl echoes. “You wouldn’t believe how impossible it is to pursue young women in and around the palace. I’m Princess of Dale River, heir to the queendom, and I have to rely on a tournament of fencing noblewomen to even have a chance at meeting one.” She sighs. “Everyone here either works for me or is twice as old as I am.”

Veronica wiggles her eyebrows. “Not warm to cougars, Princess?”

Cheryl laughs at the girl’s words. 

“You should visit Banderas sometime, Princess. It’s part of your queendom, after all,” Veronica says gently.

“Indeed,” Cheryl agrees. “There are so many places I haven’t been. So many things I’ve yet to experience.” Her eyes drop over Veronica’s soft dress. “Romantic partners, you say?”

“My princess,” Veronica says, smirk returning. “Do you mean to ask me—”

“Yes,” Cheryl says, brushing off her already clean skirt. “Pardon the question, but I’d really like to know.”

The woman puts a hand to her pearl necklace. “I was not aware that virginity was required of a new queen consort.”

“Oh, it isn’t,” Cheryl replies, “I merely wanted an answer.”

Veronica looks amused. “Then you are also not—”

“I am,” Cheryl corrects. “How many...never mind. You mustn’t answer. I’ve quite overstepped.”

“Four,” Veronica says quietly. “And I loved all the same. The first was my first. The second was in grieving. The third was a spark. And the fourth before leaving.”

Cheryl looks taken aback at the rhyme. “I thank you for your honesty. Does loyalty mean a great deal to you, as it does to me?”

Veronica squints, twirling raven black hair around her finger ever so slowly. “Well, your highness, as the commoners of Banderas say in the streets: you bet your fine ass it does.”

Cheryl stills in confusion. “Wha—”

Before the princess knows it, Veronica has her hand on Cheryl’s cheek, swooping forward in one fluid motion to press their lips together. Veronica can feel the heat between them, the princess adjusting to her touch, the soft grunt into her mouth. 

Cheryl pulls away, staring blankly at Veronica. “You just kissed a royal heir without her permission.”

“Your highness—”

“Do it again,” Cheryl says in a rush, blood pumping through her veins downward in her body. 

If the first kiss was a flicker, the second was the entire electrical circuit. 

Veronica kisses her like there’s no tomorrow, like they haven’t just met, like there will be no consequences.

The princess’s mind races, taking a girl’s lips on her own for the very first time. After a minute she stands from the bench, not disconnecting with Veronica, and walks them backwards to the bed until the back of Veronica’s knees hits the frame and she falls against the covers, Cheryl toppling onto her with a soft giggle. Veronica purrs in appreciation and flips the two of them over. 

Cheryl gazes upward into Veronica’s eyes and then downward into Veronica’s shirt, sending a silent thank you to God for all Her work on the lady atop her. Veronica bites her own lip before leaning down to kiss Cheryl once more, running her hand up Cheryl’s clothed breasts and basking in the princess’s incessant shivers.

Suddenly a knock at the door startles the two entangled. Veronica scrambles off the princess, wiping her lips of rosy lipstick.

Cheryl gets off the bed. “Come in,” she orders at the door. “Oh, hello. What can I do for you?”

Polly steps inside. “Princess Cheryl, I was told by a palace assistant that you might be visiting our guests the ladies. I was wondering—” her eyes fall on Veronica still lying on the bed, shirt riding up by her belly button. “Oh. I’m sorry, I’ll...I’ll come back later.”

Veronica sits up with a smirk. “No matter, you’re already here.”

Cheryl bites her lip. “Veronica, this is my cousin the Lady Paulina Smith Blossom. Polly, Lady Veronica Gómez.”

“Just Veronica,” Veronica says, sticking out a hand in greeting.

Polly shakes it cautiously. “May I have a word with the princess outside?”

“You may,” Veronica answers, smiling. “I’ll be waiting,” she adds with a wink.

Once outside the door, Polly’s face dims. “Cheryl, what on earth were you thinking?!”

Cheryl keeps a stone expression. “I’m doing well, cousin Polly. Thanks for asking.”

Polly frowns. “Cheryl, I’m serious!” She lowers her voice further. “You and the ladies of the tournament aren’t supposed to—”

“Spare me the legal lecture, Polly dearest,” she says. “I very well know them, in fact I’m the heir to this queendom, or have you forgotten?” She crosses her arms. “Relax. Veronica and I haven’t had any relations. I haven’t had relations with anyone, at the palace or outside of it.”

Polly breathes a sigh of relief. “Good. You know how important it is to maintain royal image. It’s what Queen Roseanne would have wanted, it’s what your mothers would have wanted, it’s—”

“Completely outdated and unnecessary so long as we use protection and have consent,” Cheryl interjects. “Besides, who are you to tell me not to pursue lust? Do you stand before me a virgin of the crown?”

Polly nods eagerly. “Of course I do!”

Cheryl looks surprised. “Oh. Didn’t expect that.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Polly asks defensively. 

Cheryl rolls her eyes. “Well it’s not as if Lady Elizabeth hasn’t had a fair share of women in her chambers.”

“That’s different, Princess,” Polly replies. “She’s third in line, her position is of low importance to this queendom. Plus, she’s quiet about her...affairs.”

Cheryl raises her eyebrows. “And I’d go around screaming of my conquers?”

“Listen, Cheryl. Everyone at the palace knows your business. All I’m saying is, you’d do well to remember that,” she says crossly, tiring of her cousin’s attitude. 

“Else what?” Cheryl pries. “Your younger sister’s third in line, which makes you second. And we all know the Smith Blossoms have been vying for the Blossom throne since the very first redheaded women claimed it.” Cheryl eyes her cousin menacingly. “I won’t have you and your white blood diluting the pure red that is the Blossom sigil. I have one week to marry, and marry is what I’ll do. Understood?”

Polly swallows. 

“You’d do well to remember that,” Cheryl says, gesturing Polly’s exit down the hall and reentering Veronica’s chambers. 

“I’m sorry to have kept you waiting, Veronica,” Cheryl tells the girl. “My family can be quite a nuisance sometimes.”

Veronica smirks. “In that case I hereby retract my place in the tournament. I will not marry into this disagreement.” 

Cheryl’s face falls. “Are you serious?”

“Of course not, you fool!” Veronica laughs, adding a “your highness,” in haste. “Family problems are meant to be dealt with with a wife at hand.”

Cheryl looks downwards, unsure of what emotion just struck. “Look, I have to pay a visit to...the others now.” She starts walking to the door. 

Veronica gets off the bed. “Wait a minute, Princess. Don’t I get any questions about you?”

Cheryl turns, signaling her to continue. 

Veronica nods. “With due respect, aren’t you at least a little bit worried about marrying someone you just met?”

“Aren’t you?” Cheryl asks in return, walking out of the room and closing the door behind her.


	5. Red Flame Rekindled

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cheryl reconnects with Heather.
> 
> Note: Please be patient, I promise Choni will get their moments :) But for now this is important. 
> 
> Hopefully you like it!

Heather’s door is open wide. She sits in the alcove by the open window, humming softly, a hand running through her blonde waves as she puts it in a bun. 

Golden sun mixed with red copper. Our kids would be adored by the crown, Cheryl thinks before shaking the thought out of her head. 

The Princess clears her throat in the doorway. 

Heather stumbles out of her thoughts and rushes to stand, curtsying. “My princess, best of mornings to yourself.”

Cheryl nods in appreciation. “As to you, Lady Montgomery. I hope this is a good time.”

“A time as splendid as ever, your highness,” Heather says with a smile.

Cheryl shuts the door behind her and walks towards the girl, mirroring the smile. “Heath. Addressing me by my title is not necessary. We were comrades for how many years long ago?”

Heather crosses her arms playfully. “Too many, Cher.”

Cheryl laughs before taking a seat at the vanity and gesturing for Heather to sit beside her. “How is the palace suiting you, old friend?” 

“It’s an adjustment,” Heather says carefully, “but I am loving it here. Everyone is so friendly.”

“Good to hear,” the princess says, beaming. She’ll have to offer a raise to her staff someday soon…

“I have, though, taken an interest in one woman in particular,” Heather goes on excitedly.

“Oh?” Cheryl’s heart beats out of her chest, confused. “Wh-who? Do I know her?” 

Heather’s eyebrows knit upwards. “Your highness,” she says, laying a hand on the back of Cheryl’s head and tilting it to face the mirror. “You see her now?”

“Oh,” Cheryl says, breathing out in relief and returning to face Heather. “You speak of myself.”

“Of course I do,” she says, reaching her hands out and placing them gently on the princess’ knees. “Cher...hear me out. What are we doing?”

“Wh--”

Heather looks eager. “You and I, why are we pretending to start over again? There was always chemistry between us.”

“We were fifteen, Heather!” Cheryl scoffs.

“And even then,” Heather says, “you can’t deny we had something special. More than just two friends enjoying each other’s company.”

Cheryl reddens. She knows it’s the truth.

Heather Montgomery was her first love, and she intends on being the princess’s last.

“Cheryl, please,” Heather says softly, her blue eyes twinkling in the mid-morning light from the nearby window and making the princess’s heart flutter. “Having to leave you and stay in Lake Bay is the biggest mistake I’ve ever endured. Letting my mother listen to my grandmothers who thought it was best for our territory that I remain there at all times, especially since Ella was almost born...they was so protective, I never stood a chance disagreeing as a teenager.” She takes a deep breath in and releases it slowly. “Tell me you have an idea of the regret in my heart, Cheryl. Tell me you’ve felt it too.”

Cheryl’s heart pangs. “I--don’t know what to say. Of course I missed you, Heath, I missed you so much that it felt like I was dying. But...I’ve had to move on.”

 

Heather bites her lip nervously. “Cher…”

“I didn’t want things to change, Heather, but they did,” Cheryl says, trying to hold back tears. “My mother died. Aunt Alice schemed for Paulina to have the throne since she was older than me, even though the Smith Blossoms have always been behind my family in the line of succession. I had to take up so much on my own, no sister, no mothers, even the council stopped taking me seriously.” She tucks a strand of gold behind Heather’s ear. “And I had just lost my best friend…” 

Heather’s gazes focuses on the floor as a single tear rolls down her cheek. “I’m so sorry, Cher, that you had to go through it all alone.”

Cheryl wipes the tear off Heather’s cheek, chuckling through the pain. “I was alone, yes. But now…”

“I’m here again, Cheryl,” Heather says hopefully. “We can pick up right where we left off. I’m yours again if you’ll have me.”

The princess’s breath hitches.

“You don’t have to answer right away,” Heather blurts out. She gets off the chair, kneels, and takes Cheryl’s right hand, pressing a brisk kiss to it and letting it drop gently in Cheryl’s lap. 

As Heather gets up and walks away, Cheryl decides she can’t let Heather leave her sight even one more time without showing her affection to the girl. “Heather,” she calls, standing and walking over to the girl caught off guard. 

Her palm makes its way to Heather’s left cheek, cupping it as she leans in for a desperate kiss. Heather, her best friend Heather, kisses her back for the first time, and as if her life depends on it.

The princess feels like she’s floating. 

Every moment she’s ever had with Heather flashes under her passionately closed eyes.

Toddlers playing together on the palace playground. Children throwing flour and baking soda on each other in the palace kitchen. Teenagers engaging in royal gossip, stealing nervous lovesick glances when the other wasn’t looking.

Her Heather had come back to her.

The golden blonde is the first to pull away. “Cher…”

“I love you,” Cheryl whispers, voice shaking, wiping tears from her own face. “God, I love you. I never--”

“Stopped,” Heather finishes. “Neither did I.”

They stand together, two as one, hearts beating out of chests. Heather finally breaks the silence. “Can I…” she asks, reaching out to grasp the bottom of Cheryl’s shirt.

Whatever fear or hesitation Cheryl had before flies out the open window. “Yes,” Cheryl answers, eyes not leaving Heather’s. “Yes,” she says more confidently.

Heather holds a purely genuine smile. “Really? Is that...is that what you want?”

“Yes, it’s what I want,” Cheryl says, biting her lip in nervous excitement. 

Heather’s gaze turns serious for a moment and she turns around to shuffle through her bag before pulling out protection.

Cheryl smirks. “Ambitious, are we?”

“Prepared,” Heather asserts. “Now, where were we?” Her hands bring Cheryl close to her, running them down her lower body and over her butt. 

Heather removes the princess’s shirt, Cheryl rushing to fix her now-messy hair. “Stop,” Heather says breathlessly, “you’re beautiful as you are.”

Cheryl’s heart warms, and she takes Heather’s shirt off as well, eyes glued to her barely-covered breasts. “As are you.”

“Thank you, your highness,” Heather says with a smirk, noting the way Cheryl’s eyes darken. She reaches behind the girl’s back and unclips her bra before unclipping her own, letting the garments fall to the floor. 

“It’s my first time,” Cheryl says, dazed, reaching a hand out to brush lightly against Heather’s round breasts.

“Mine too, my princess,” Heather responds, bringing her body closer to Cheryl’s until the two are almost touching, kissing her again. “We’ll learn together.” Without further ado, Heather gently knocks her onto the bed, her strong arm muscles coming up to intertwine their fingers above Cheryl’s head.

Heather lets out a light moan as she instinctively grinds on Cheryl’s lower half, the girl under her breathing heavily. “Mm,” she murmurs, bending to lay kisses on Cheryl’s warm neck. “I’m in love your body, Cher. God, you’re so hot.”

Cheryl’s mind is a hundred places at once, unsure of what to do with herself, never having been in this situation before. 

And she’s loving it.

She feels her lower body grow heated and scrambles to remove her skirt, pushing Heather’s off right after. “You’re like a dream, Heath, don’t stop.”

 

Heather grinds a few more times, but when Cheryl reaches a hand to help her she refuses gently. “You first, babe.”

Cheryl hums in anticipation, wrapping her legs around Heather’s midsection. “Take me, Heather.”

Heather crawls down her body, pulling underwear down Cheryl’s legs and letting them fall over her shoulder. Her lips run kisses up Cheryl’s thighs, never ceasing to praise Cheryl while doing it. When she finally reaches her center, she meets eyes with the girl. “Is this still okay?”

Cheryl nods hungrily, not trusting her voice to remain steady. Her hands reach down to hold Heather’s beautiful hair as she takes her first swipe at the girl’s wet folds.

The princess arches upwards into Heather’s mouth immediately, apologizing after. “Sorry, I--oh, my god don’t stop.”

“Hey, don’t worry, it’s okay,” Heather whispers before taking the girl’s clit into her mouth and pressuring it consistently.

Cheryl lets out a rumbling moan in bliss. “Ugh, you’re a natural, Heath.”

Heather looks pleased, continuing to pleasure the princess beneath her, taking in the wet arousal of her center. When Cheryl groans particularly loudly, Heather is quick to calm her down. “Cher, you have to be quiet, okay? Your palace staff is too attentive, if they hear anything at all they’ll come running.” She leaves wet kisses on the inside of Cheryl’s pillow-soft thighs. “They know you’re visiting us ladies, and I don’t need them to know the rest,” she says with a smug giggle. 

“Easy for you to say,” Cheryl says breathlessly, tightening her legs around Heather as the girl’s tongue does wonders on her body. “You’re not the--ohh--the one being made to feel so fucking good.”

Heather smirks, lips moving around slowly. “Forgive me, your highness, but I don’t think I’ve heard you curse before.”

As Heather circles her clit with a finger, dipping her tongue inside her center, Cheryl’s eyes twitch, rolling to the back of her head. “That’s because--ugh, fuck--crude language isn’t allowed at the palace.”

Heather hums against her pulsing folds. “And what else isn’t allowed, my princess?”

“This,” Cheryl answers, panting. “You’re corrupting me, Lady Montgomery.”

“Sounds dangerous,” Heather says with a wink, and Cheryl swoons at the action, already nearing climax. “You’re going to have to be quieter, Cher, unless you want your maids barging in on us like this.” When Cheryl doesn’t change, Heather moves upwards and kisses her on the lips. Taking the moans into her own mouth, Heather winds her finger inside Cheryl, pumping hard, thumb still circling her clit. 

When Cheryl’s legs begin to shake, Heather keeps up with her murmurs into the girl’s lips. “That’s good, baby. You’re doing so well for our first times.”

“I’m so close,” Cheryl whines in a strained voice against the girl’s mouth. “Heath--”

“Let go, Cher,” she says, biting the girl’s lip and pulling off with a pop, rubbing harder on her clit as the wetness increases. “You can do it.”

The princess explodes, the first wave of pleasure so sharp that her mouth stays in an O for several seconds. She arches into Heather’s fingers and moans into the girl’s neck to mute her voice. When she’s done riding the wave, she lies motionless under Heather. “Was that—okay?” The girl asks her. 

Cheryl catches her breath. “That was incredible, Heath,” she says, pulling her in for a kiss. “I can’t wait to do it all to you.”

Heather blushes despite herself. “You don’t have to, your highness. I can go—”

Cheryl brings a finger to Heather’s lips. “Shh, my love. I want to. I want you, Heather Montgomery.” Her hands reach under the band of the girl’s underwear, feeling another’s arousal for the first time. “Can I go inside?” She asks tentatively. 

“Yes, Cheryl. Please,” Heather answers, closing her eyes to focus on the pleasure as Cheryl enters with one finger, beckoning inside before gradually adding another. 

She moves to a sitting position, Heather in her lap, her strong arm muscles around Cheryl’s waist as Cheryl winds inside her. “Can you...mmph...can you touch my clit?” 

“Of course,” Cheryl whispers, helping Heather climb higher by every moment. She feels so lucky to be losing her virginity with her old best friend. After all, how many women of the queendom could say that?

Heather’s eyes remain screwed shut, panting heavily as she grinds into Cheryl’s fingers, and Cheryl shivers at the sight of a woman melting in her lap. Heather resorts to biting her lip to follow her set rule, attempting to keep from moaning loudly and attracting attention from the rest of the palace. 

All of a sudden Cheryl spots her cousin Elizabeth’s face at the door, eyes wide open in shock. Cheryl keeps her face towards Heather, not wanting to disrupt their moment, while angrily telling Elizabeth to leave with her eyes. She mouths something furiously and Cheryl bites her lip in anger, jerking her head to the right. 

Heather, though eyes closed, starts to sense something. “Wh—”

Cheryl kisses her as a distraction, right hand still working knuckle deep inside, bringing her left hand up to point at the door urging Lady Elizabeth to leave. She makes a mental note to lock the door the next time she goes literally anywhere in the palace. Elizabeth finally leaves, crossing her arms and stepping outside, the door shutting behind her. 

Heather breaks the kiss. “What was that?”

“I’m sure it was nothing, my love, just the wind from outside snapping the door shut,” Cheryl says, sucking a hickey into Heather’s neck and speeding up her circles around the clit. 

“Ohh, Cheryl I’m so close,” she husks into the princess’s ear. “Just a little more…”

When Heather hits her peak, losing control, Cheryl vows to never forget it. She finally relaxes into Cheryl’s shoulder, riding out her orgasm until Cheryl removes her fingers and wipes them on the bed. “My princess,” Heather says, mind still dizzy, cheeks red, “how you fulfill me.”

Cheryl smiles, tucking golden hair behind Heather’s ear. “The pleasure was all mine, Lady Montgomery—”

“No,” Heather chuckles, shaking her head, “not all of it.” She kisses Cheryl again, bringing her head down to the pillow. 

Cheryl remembers her cousin’s intrusion and regretfully pulls away. “I must excuse myself for a brief moment, Heath. I just have to step outside.” 

Heather nods, relaxing against the covers.

Cheryl hastily dresses, taking one look in the vanity mirror before heading out the door. 

Luckily Elizabeth hasn’t gotten too far down the hall. “Pssst! Elizabeth!” Cheryl says, briskly hiking across the carpet.

She turns around. “What is it, cousin dearest?” She says, curtsying almost mockingly.

Cheryl rolls her eyes. “Cut the act. What on earth were you doing looking around in Heather’s chambers?”

Lady Elizabeth crosses her arms, smirking. “I could ask you the same. I seem to recall you were in Heather’s ‘chamber’ just a minute ago.”

Cheryl makes a face of disgust. “First of all, do not ever say that again. Second of all, I am the heir to Dale River and can do as I please. Third of all, in case you’ve forgotten, I’m supposed to be visiting the girls because of the tournament. Now answer my question.”

She looks annoyed. “It’s near lunchtime. The assistants dispatched me to gather you and the ladies for the meal.”

Cheryl looks doubtful. “What a story. You’re not my maid and never have been, cousin. So what did you really want?”

“Fine,” she says, dropping her arms in acceptance. “My sister and I wanted to talk to you before you make a decision.”

“About?”

“About the ladies, your highness,” Lady Elizabeth says through gritted teeth. “Look, it’s probably the biggest decision you’ll have made so far, choosing a wife to rule Dale River by your side for the rest of your life. And...you don’t have…”

Cheryl’s eyebrows raise defensively. “What don’t I have, cousin?”

Elizabeth softens. “A mother? A sister? We just want to help.”

“Consider your charity denied,” Cheryl says, turning to walk back to Heather’s room. 

She raises her voice. “Cheryl, come on. How can you be so cool about this?”

Cheryl stops, turning around. “You think I’m taking this lightly? I’m scared out of my mind! Two of these girls I just met yesterday and the other I have to either marry or say goodbye to forever!”

“Let us help you,” Elizabeth pleads. “Come to tea in our quarters after lunch. I promise my mother won’t be there, she’s on an excursion with the Ladies’ mothers.”

Cheryl realizes Elizabeth won’t give up. “Fine. I’ll stop by,” she answers curtly, starting to leave again. 

Elizabeth reaches and arm out to hers lightly. “Wait!”

“What?”

“How was it?” She asks. 

“How was what?” Cheryl asks. 

“Dear God, Cheryl.” Lady Elizabeth lowers her voice. “The sex! With Heather.”

Cheryl blushes in embarrassment. “Eliz—”

“You don’t have to be ashamed, Cheryl. It’s not like I’m a virgin judging you,” she says. 

“I’d rather not discuss that kind of thing with my cousin,” Cheryl says, gulping, “but...it was everything I could have dreamed of. And better than I imagined. Heather is so caring.”

She smiles. “I always knew you two had a thing for each other. It was only a matter of time.”

“Yes, well,” Cheryl says, “I’d better get back to her. Could you do me a favor and not tell your sister about this?”

Elizabeth gasps. “Lie to her?”

“Conceal information. It’s quite different. And if you don’t agree to it, I will make it a royal order,” Cheryl says crossly. 

She groans. “You have my word, princess. I’ll see you at tea.”

Cheryl walks away and re-enters Heather’s chambers. “My apologies, Heath,” she says to the girl on the bed. “Royal matters can be a pain to attend to.”

Heather looks at her with eyes of adoration. “You’re the heir apparent. You don’t need to apologize.”

“No, but I aim to,” Cheryl says. “I want to be different than my mothers before me. To be more relatable to the people. To respect them in every way.”

“Aren’t you afraid they won’t respect you then, your highness?” Heather says, sitting up. 

“I will make sure that they do,” Cheryl says, kissing Heather on the forehead gently.

“As will I, given the chance,” Heather says nervously. 

Cheryl’s face falls. “Right…”

Heather stumbles on her words. “I don’t—m-mean to be presumptuous, your highness. I know you’re not ready to choose a wife.”

“No offense taken, Lady Montgomery,” Cheryl says with an anxious smile. “Anyhow, I must be going. I’ve been informed it’s near midday meal. Will you dress and be downstairs in a half hour?”

“Of course, my princess,” Heather says. “I’ll see you then.”


	6. Garden Tales

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Cheryl and the ladies lunch in the garden.
> 
> Cheryl experiences a slight shift in feelings.

Cheryl’s head feels like it’s going to explode. Three women in three hours, she can hardly believe what it’s come down to as she heads down the spiral with an assistant by her side. 

Her three ladies stand at the bottom of the staircase. 

“Your highness,” Veronica says with a curtsy. “You do look stunning.”

“Everything looks stunning on her,” Antoinette says simply, without any edge. 

“I disagree,” Heather says, taking Cheryl’s hand to help her down the last stair and leaning in her ear. “Nothing looks even better.”

Cheryl shivers. “Ladies, I thank you for the compliments. Please follow me outside. We’ll be dining in the gardens today.”

Fresh baguettes sit inside a woven basket aside marmalade jam in the center of a circular table on the garden patio. Heather and Veronica scramble for a place by the princess’ side, while Antoinette calmly takes her seat across. “Please, help yourselves to some bread. My gatherers went all the way to France to get first pick,” Cheryl says, relaxing at the table. “The waitresses will bring out paninis shortly.”

“So,” Veronica begins promptly. “How was your morning, Princess?”

“Splendid,” Cheryl answers cheerfully. “I enjoyed seeing all three of you in good health.”

“I’ll say,” Heather mutters under her breath. 

“And us you, my princess,” Antoinette says, cheeks pink with a smile. 

Cheryl can feel her heart warming at the natural charm of the girl. It can’t be, she thinks. It can’t be that she’s falling for Antoinette as well?

“Yes, well,” Cheryl replies, voice cracking. “Here they are with the sandwiches. Have your choice of prosciutto, or perhaps a caprese. The tomatoes are from the garden,” she adds hurriedly, as if it were a lifesaving detail.

As the girls take their first bites, Cheryl excuses herself from the table to talk to an advisor nearby. “Lady Jane,” she says with a nod. “I am in need of your help.”

“How so, my princess?” The woman answers. 

“What am I to talk to these ladies about? They are quite beautiful, but...I find myself lacking in conversational skills for the first time in I don’t know how long.” Cheryl’s heart races. 

The lady smiles. “You are simply against the nerves, your highness. I trust your capabilities more than—”

“Please,” Cheryl says softly. “Anything I can do to make this luncheon less awkward I would be grateful for.”

Lady Jane ponders. “Well, you’ve asked about their families, I presume, and their work in their respective territories...how about commonalities?”

“Such as...”

“Sports, television, schooling...they are noblewomen as much as they are regular girls,” the lady answers. “Go on, my heir. I know you can handle this.”

“My thanks, Lady Jane,” Cheryl says, returning to the table to the three girls chatting. 

“Princess Cheryl, we were just discussing athletics. Did you have a favorite sport growing up?” Veronica asks excitedly.

Cheryl steals a glance at Lady Jane who smiles furtively before walking away. “Yes, in fact, I much adored tennis.”

“Tennis,” Antoinette echoes. “My younger sister plays. I’ve always taken an interest in soccer.”

“Me as well,” Heather says. “Perhaps we could face off sometime.”

Cheryl grows nervous. “Lady M--”

Heather places her hand on Cheryl’s. “Relax, my princess. It was only a jest. Singles or doubles tennis?”

“Singles,” Cheryl says as she catches her breath. “I’m an only child, after all.

“I do recall us playing doubles now and then,” Heather says fondly.

“Rugby is all the rage in Banderas,” Veronica responds.

“I should think rugby is too physical a sport for the royal heirs to partake in,” Antoinette comments. “Is that right, Princess?”

Cheryl looks pleasantly surprised. “Y--yes, it is...how did you know?”

Antoinette smiles. “Just a guess, your highness.”

Cheryl looks downward, blushing. Somehow the shape of Antoinette’s lips and whiteness of her teeth is enough to make Cheryl feel blissfully inadequate. “So, ladies, any favorite television programs?”

“Last night I turned on the CW,” Veronica responds. “It has its ups and downs, but some of the shows aren’t bad.”

“Or they weren’t and now they are,” Heather adds. “Does the CW reach the palace?”

“Of course, Lady Montgomery. Anything I want will reach the palace,” Cheryl says with a laugh. “I loved One Tree Hill. When my mothers used to yell for me to head to the throne room on international business, I hated having to end my binging sessions.”

“For real?” Veronica asks. “That’s amazing.”

Cheryl looks pleased with herself at being able to integrate into the conversation. “I used to watch Jane the Virgin too.”

“Petra and Ramos forever,” Antoinette says. “I shipped it so much.”

“Me too,” Cheryl says softly, locking eyes with the girl. “The way Ramos forgave her—”

“After the near unforgivable. It was like nothing had changed even when everything had,” Antoinette said, leaning forward in her seat. “Because they were—”

“Meant to be together,” Cheryl finishes. “Yeah.” In the silence, Cheryl can feel how easy it is to talk to her. And god, even easier to look at her. So uniquely beautiful. 

Like an angel.

The princess thinks she catches a glimpse of jealousy on Veronica’s face and of disdain on Heather’s, but before she knows it, Antoinette is clearing her throat. 

Cheryl shakes out of her mind. “Can my assistants offer you anything else? Dessert?”

Their plates are empty, lined only with crumbs. “No, your highness,” Heather answers. “We’re quite full.”

“Excellent,” she responds. “May you all enjoy a nice nap, or perhaps a tour of the palace at your leisure. I will take the next few hours by myself and see you all tonight for the ball. My aunt the Lady Alice Smith has invited several high noblewomen to make our acquaintances.”

Heather takes hold of her arm as she rises. “Princess Cheryl, may I have a word with you?”

“Of course, Lady Montgomery. Walk with me through the gardens,” Cheryl says, beginning the stroll down in the hedges. 

Once they are a few steps away, Heather ducks behind greenery and pulls Cheryl in closer, hands on her waist. 

Cheryl’s eyebrows raise. “This is ‘a word’ with me?”

Heather smiles smugly. “Can I let my hands do the talking?”

Cheryl pulls back. “You’re sweet, Heather. Don’t get me wrong.”

Heather’s face falls. “I thought—”

The Princess takes her by the hand. “I love you, Heather. I do. But I must be fair to the other ladies. I’ve given you more than I have them...and there’s no problem with that, yet my guilt remains.”

Heather squeezes the hand in hers. “I meant no pressure, your highness. I only aspire for your attention.”

Cheryl slows her pace, turning back around to the palace. “I know that, Heath. I had a really great time with you this morning...it was the perfect first.”

“And?”

“Let’s slow things down a bit. We have time until...you know,” Cheryl says, not wanting to acknowledge the end of the tournament. “I get to be with you and the others every day til then.”

“Every day,” Heather echoes, stepping out from the hedges. “And I’ll dream of you every night.”

Cheryl smiles tentatively. “I fear I’m falling for you too quickly, Lady Montgomery.”

“And I for you, Cher,” she says, not catching the princess’ hesitation. “See you this evening.”


	7. Teatime

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Cheryl has tea with Paulina and Elizabeth as she promised.
> 
> Sorry this is so short! I'm beyond stressed with just about everything in my life right now, and I hesitate to put out a chapter if I'm not proud of it. Hope you like!

After the meal, the Princess heads back upstairs to Polly’s chambers for the tea meeting she had promised Lady Elizabeth. 

“Her royal highness has arrived for tea,” Cheryl’s assistant says beside her, both of them standing behind the mahogany door. 

Lady Paulina opens the door and curtsies. 

Cheryl smiles. “That will be all, Madame Gloria. Thank you,” she says as the assistant nods and bids farewell, leaving. 

Her smile fades as she steps inside. “Cousin Polly. Good afternoon.”

Polly shuts the door. “Your highness, thank you for coming to tea,” she says dryly. 

Elizabeth walks into the room and curtsies. “Princess. Please sit if you will.” 

“You’ve said Lady Alice is at an outing with Hermione, Antoinette Magnificent, and the elder Lady Montgomery?” Cheryl confirms. 

“Yes, my princess,” Polly assures her. “They are bound to have a great time. Please, have a biscuit.”

Cheryl rolls her eyes. “Shall we make this as brief as possible? I have several royal matters to attend to—”

“I’m sure you know the crown has cancelled all outside events in light of the tournament. Your ladies can wait,” Polly says smoothly. “Please, Cher. Let us help you.”

“All right,” Cheryl concedes, crossing her arms. “Am I here to listen to your opinions on each woman?”

Elizabeth shakes her head. “No, Princess, although if I must say, Lady Gómez is quite fair.”

Cheryl’s eyes narrow. “I am well aware of how fair MY women are,” she replies defensively. “But who will make a good queen consort?”

Polly pours from the teapot into Cheryl’s porcelain cup. “Well, you know how fond we are of Lady Montgomery. She and her mothers have friends of the palace for years.”

Lady Elizabeth smiles. “Yes, my princess. We had such fun at our play-dates growing up.” Her smile turns into a smirk. “Surely you take great...pleasure in her acquaintance?”

Cheryl reddens. “I—”

“I am in agreement with Lady Elizabeth,” Polly admits. “Heather is like a sister to us, wouldn’t you say?”

Cheryl feels bile rise in her throat as Heather’s deep moans replay in her head. “Of course,” her voice manages. “But what of Lady Topaz?” Antoinette’s charming face pops into the princess’s mind.

Elizabeth takes a sip of tea. “There is no doubt that the daughter of Antoinette the Magnificent would handle the queendom well, I am sure of it.”

Polly nods. “Your child could be the fourth generation of Antoinette’s whose charity work make people adore her queendom-wide.”

“And what of our red hair?” Cheryl interrupts. “The Blossom signature look gone, traded in for darker tones and neutral waves.” 

Elizabeth looks surprised. “Your highness! Surely you don’t feel that way about—”

“Relax, cousin. The nature of her character is not a debate,” Cheryl says quickly. “I find her attractive and worthy in all ways. I only meant that a change in portraits will arise if she is to be my wife. Pass the sugar bowl?”

Polly lends her the bowl. “Maybe it’s a good thing, Princess. For years your line has been known to marry only ones who look as you. Fair skin, auburn hair. I hear royal rumors that your mother the Queen Penelope—”

“Enough of this nonsense!” Cheryl interrupts, annoyed. “My mother Penelope was welcoming of all people. And my mother Juliet died in battle, defending Antoinette the Magnificent’s territory. There is no question of their alliance.”

Elizabeth speaks carefully. “If there is indeed an alliance, it will only be strengthened upon your marriage to Lady Topaz.”

Cheryl considers this before standing. “Very well. I do have much inner debate left to conquer. And quite a few events with the ladies nonetheless.”

“Of course, your highness,” they echo in unison. 

Cheryl glances at them once more before passing out the door. “Thank you for the tea.”

Elizabeth walks over to stand in the doorway, her gaze following Cheryl’s strides down the hallway. 

“Is she gone?” Polly asks her sister. 

Elizabeth nods. “Mother,” she calls. “You can come out now.”

Lady Alice steps out from behind a tapestry. “Well, well, well. We do have a lot to work with now don’t we, girls?”

-

“You two did a fine job,” Alice continues. “Polly, your subtle persuasion will do wonders when I take the crown for you once and for all.”

“And my work, mother?” Elizabeth says. “I was the one who found out about her promiscuous encounter with Heather Montgomery.”

“Of course, my darling girl,” Alice says, pouring herself a cup of tea. “That will be easy to use against the princess. But for now, you two are exactly where you need to be. Antoinette must come off as the most desirable option to Cheryl.”

“Why is that again, mother?” Polly says, passing her the cream.

Alice smiles smugly, pressing the rim of the cup up to her lips. “Because I have information on Antoinette that will tarnish her name forever...and I want her to be hand in hand with the princess when I reveal it.”


	8. That Green Light (I Want It)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Princess Cheryl attends the royal ball. (aka finally some of the choni you've been asking for)
> 
> Lol and this brings us to the end of the 2nd day of the tournament...LMAOO could this fanfic BE any slower. Anyway here you go :)
> 
> Notes:  
> Sorry for the long delay things are crazy rn  
> Everyone please stop telling me to kill Heather lmao. She's not dying (or is she? muahaha). No srsly stop.  
> Also please NO SPOILERS FOR RIVERFAIL IN THE COMMENTS!!! I haven’t watched the episode and won’t for 3 days.

Cheryl has always adored the vanity that sits in front of her. She sits on her plush-seated chair, admiring the vanity’s sizeable mirror and elegant wooden details as she’s done for years. 

It was a gift from her mother the queen consort, and it has been a prized possession of hers since the very day it was moved into the princess’s room.

She hums a sweet melody as her assistants comb through her hair, applying lavender oils as they go. 

All of a sudden she hears muffled voices outside the door. “Madame Therese?” the princess calls out, holding a hand to cease the work of her stylists. “Who arrives at my door?”

The woman opens the door, peeking at Cheryl through a crack. “Your highness. Does the Lady Topaz have permission to enter your chambers at this moment?”

Cheryl’s heart flutters for reasons she can’t put a finger on. “Yes. Yes, Madame Therese. Please do send her in.” She turns to the rest of the staff. “All of you, enjoy a night off. I will finish preparing myself for the ball without your generous help.” 

The assistants murmur their gratitude and leave the room.

Antoinette steps through the door, wearing a dress of brilliant red accented with shimmering gold. “Your highness, how has been your afternoon?”

Cheryl is taken aback by the girl’s beauty. “I--it’s been decent, Lady Topaz. You--you wear my family’s color...my color.”

Antoinette’s face contorts adorably. “With respect, my princess, red existed before you.”

“Touche,” Cheryl says, eyes darkening. The way Antoinette seems to be searching her soul is not quite as intimidating as she’d have thought. She feels almost a comfort in the girl’s easeful stare. “But why have you visited me here, now, before the ball?”

“Can I just say that I admire your calling off the staff to do your own styling?” Antoinette asks. “Very bold of you.”

Cheryl smiles. “Perhaps I was inspired by you, Lady Topaz, and your abilities to be independent of assistance.”

Antoinette takes seat on the adjacent chair. “Perhaps. I came by to wish you good fortune tonight. I know you must be anxious to meet the Lady Alice’s comrades. The pressure is on to remain appearing fit for the crown against those would-be usurpers.” She leans in closer to the princess and places a hand over hers. “Just a reminder that if you need anything at all tonight, I can be by your side.”

“Th-thank you,” Cheryl says. “But why--”

“You’re sensational, Princess Cheryl. I’d hate to see a bunch of middle-aged hags dampen your spirits,” Antoinette says with a smile, getting up from her seat. “I look forward to seeing you this evening.”

Cheryl sits stunned, eyes flickering between her closet and the girl walking away from her. “Wait! Lady Topaz, wait. What am I to wear tonight?”

Antoinette looks surprised. “You’re asking me? Your highness, I am the furthest from a fashionista. And trust me, whatever it is you end up in, you’ll look hot.”

 

Cheryl blushes wildly, hand gripping the arm of her chair.

“Forgive me,” Antoinette says with a wink, “but they should call you Cheryl Bombshell.” 

The princess watches her curtsy and exit, still glued to her seat.

Ten minutes later she figures she should get up and explore her closet for a proper gown.

-

The royal decorative committee has spared no expense. 

The princess wonders if she’s stepped into party of the roaring twenties, hearing upbeat jazz from the stereos and gazing over magnificent silver ribbons streamed across the wide walls. She makes a mental note to compliment the decor team on their accomplished Gatsby-esque theme.

Cheryl spots Veronica and Heather conversing over drinks, looking rather at odds with each other. She frowns in dismay.

Antoinette is nowhere to be found. Maybe she decided not to show? Retracted her offer of help to the princess? Cheryl would like to say she wouldn’t do that, but how well does she really know the girl?

“Cousins,” Cheryl greets Paulina and Elizabeth as they approach her with curtsies. “How lovely to see you well.”

Elizabeth smiles warmly. “The pleasure is ours, Princess. Lady Gómez and Lady Montgomery seem to be having a fine time.” 

Paulina nods. “Yes, I walked by them earlier and I believe they were having a healthy dispute.”

Cheryl shrugs. “It’s really not any of my business, Polly.”

“Their behavior is quite unlike Lady Topaz’s, wouldn’t you agree?” Elizabeth says cautiously. “She seems to conduct herself acceptably at all times.”

“Have you seen her yet? Elizabeth and I would love a proper introduction,” Paulina adds. 

Cheryl frowns. “No, I...I don’t believe she has arrived thus far. I’ll...let her know that you said hello if I see her first.” She brushes past them, eager to join conversation with almost anyone else. 

Almost.

“Princess Cheryl!” Lady Alice calls out, bowing her upper body with a wave of the hand.

Cheryl groans internally but forces a smile onto her face. “Aunt Alice, you look splendid this evening.” Lady Alice stands next to three women Cheryl doesn’t recognize from the palace. “These must be your guests?”

Alice looks pleased. “This is my good friend the Lady Sophie Norwell, her younger cousin the Lady Margaret Norwell, and Margaret’s wife, the Lady Eve Sylvester.”

Cheryl nods. “I thank you for your presence tonight.”

“Might I say, your highness, that the last time my sister and I saw you, you were about this tall?” Lady Sophie says, hovering a hand by her waist.

Cheryl’s eyebrows raise. “Wow, pardon my memory, but I must have been three or four years old and at that time.”

“You’re much forgiven, Princess,” Lady Margaret assures her. “I remember how lovely you were then. Such a well-behaved little girl—no, little heir.” 

“I’d like to think that things haven’t changed,” Cheryl says, beginning to recall how she slowly learned not to hide behind her mother the Consort’s legs when guests would arrive at the palace. “I welcome my people with open arms.”

“Of course, my princess,” Lady Margaret says, taking her wife’s hand, “I thank you for tonight’s invitation. It’s Eve’s and my first ball as a married couple.”

“How wonderful,” Cheryl attempts sincerely, “congratulations on your wedding.”

“Yes, marriage is a glorious thing,” Lady Sophie chimes in. “My wife the Lady Conrad sends her regrets. She’s at home with the babies.”

“She is most certainly pardoned for her absence,” Cheryl responds with a smile. “I am quite thrilled at the prospect of marrying soon.”

“But how soon?” Lady Eve contributes. 

Cheryl’s smile fades. “Surely you are aware of the rules of the tournament? I will be engaged by the end of this week.”

Lady Alice puts a hand on the princess’s shoulder, earning a rigid stare. “Princess Cheryl has her work cut out for her. Lady Topaz, Lady Gómez, and Lady Montgomery are all beautiful and accomplished, among many things. I wouldn’t be surprised if it takes her all seven days to choose!”

The ladies laugh and Cheryl tentatively joins in. “Well, if you ladies are having a good time so far, I must excuse myself to greet some of our other palace guests,” she says, smoothing down her green velvet dress and preparing to step away. “It was lovely to make your acquaintances, Ladies Norwell and Lady Sylvester.” She turns around, faced with an assistant who pours her a glass of champagne.

“...don’t know if she’ll be able to do it…”

“...plans to be taking so long, it’ll never work out…”

Her ears perk at the not-so-subtle whispers of the ladies behind her. 

“Why, her mother the Queen Penelope had chosen the consort Juliet by the second day of the tournament,” the princess hears, growing red in embarrassment. “Who knows if this one is even fit to bear the crown?” She motions for the assistant to put down the champagne, crestfallen by the words of Lady Alice and her comrades. 

Penelope’s advice rings in her ear. She would be telling the girl not to spend time anxious about what inconsequential women thought about her, but to Cheryl it hurts all the same. Sensitivity can be a curse, or so the princess finds it. She fights off tears, commanding herself to remain bold at her palace’s ball. 

“There you are, your highness,” a confident, raspy voice calls from behind her.

Cheryl turns around. “Antoinette…” she says, wondering how she immediately feels both vulnerable and safe at the same time in her presence. 

“I’ve been looking all over for you, but I fear it has gotten quite crowded by the drink tables,” Lady Topaz continues with a low chuckle, stepping closer to the princess and making sure Lady Alice and her friends can hear the two of them clearly. “I believe it is time for the dance you promised me last night.”

Cheryl tilts her head before noticing the girl’s raised eyebrows. “Yes, of course, Lady Topaz. I would love to honor my promise with you at this moment.”

Antoinette smiles, reaching a hand out to the princess’s waist to pull her closer, her own pulse beating too loudly in her ears to pick up on the breathy sound Cheryl makes upon her touch. 

“But first,” Cheryl says, gathering herself, “I’d like to introduce you to a few women.” She takes Antoinette’s hand in hers, standing taller, and faces Lady Alice’s group again. “May I introduce Lady Antoinette Topaz the Third, daughter of Antoinette the Magnificent,” the princess announces proudly to the three women. “Antoinette, my aunt the Lady Alice Smith and her acquaintances the Ladies Norwell and the Lady Sylvester.”

“Lady Alice,” Antoinette addresses her, “how wonderful to meet someone so...near to my beloved princess.”

Alice looks delighted at the close relationship between Cheryl and Lady Topaz, though the princess can’t put a finger on why. “The pleasure is ours, Lady Topaz.” 

Antoinette decides to ignore them, turning to ask the princess just loudly enough for the ladies to hear, “is it time for my promised dance?” 

On the wide floor, noble couples dance away, each woman holding her woman as if it were the last night in the world.

“You look beautiful,” Antoinette says finally, breaking their relaxed silence as they enjoy the soft live music, drifting against each other over the wooden floor. “That dress really suits you, Princess.”

Cheryl is helpless in stifling the grin that spreads across her face. “You flatter me, Antoinette--”

“Just say thank you,” the girl says, bringing her hand up above her head to twirl Cheryl around slowly to the beat, “for you know I tell only the truth.”

As Cheryl spins, she feels something warm bubbling inside her, briefly labeling it as the effects of champagne before realizing she never did take a sip from the glass. “Thank you, then. You’re...always surprising me.”

“How so?” Antoinette asks smoothly, returning her hands to the princess’s waist.

“You’re humble like no one in your position would be. You...seem to be at ease when the other girls are not. And you showed up to let me save face in front of Aunt Alice just now,” Cheryl finishes, trying to regulate her thumping heartbeat as Antoinette’s hands hold her firmly just above the pubic bones. 

Antoinette shrugs. “I would do it again every time.”

“Take the compliment,” Cheryl says with a soft wink, turning the girl’s advice against her. “And that’s not all, Lady Topaz. Everyone here at the palace looks at me either as if I’m about to shatter into a million pieces or as if I stand on some imaginary platform ten stories above them.” She reaches out her right hand to tuck a brown wave behind Antoinette’s ear, gently thumbing over the girl’s cheek. “You treat me as an equal.”

The music fades, and the surrounding crowd disappears as Antoinette locks eyes with the princess. She tightens her grip on her waist, perhaps afraid of letting go. Adoration seeps into her brain with every passing moment spent admiring the heir’s precious brown orbs.

After what seems like minutes, Antoinette lets her eyes flicker over Cheryl’s lips for just long enough that Cheryl catches on.

The princess opens her mouth to speak, ears ringing.

“May I have your attention please?” an official says from atop the band’s podium. “Her royal highness will give a few words to the palace at this point in time.”

Cheryl draws her eyes away from Antoinette’s and lifts the bottom of her dress up, walking up the stairs. “Thank you, my lady. I would like to offer my royal gratitude to the palace staff for working tirelessly this past week to prepare for the tournament and arrange this fine ball. Ladies, may I hear your appreciation?” she clasps her hands together, nodding as those on the floor erupt in applause. “I would also like to announce that there will be a table for donations by the table as you make your exit at the end of the night. I will be traveling to a less fortunate area of my queendom tomorrow on an excursion with the Ladies Gómez, Montgomery, and Topaz, and any amount you could spare to fund the materials of our people shall be much appreciated. That is all. Thank you.” She walks to the edge of the stage careful not to trip and she surprises herself seeing Heather at the bottom, offering a hand for balance. 

Cheryl accepts the hand, stepping down into Heather’s embrace. “Lady Montgomery--”

“You look gorgeous, my princess,” Heather says, “please, allow me to fill you a glass of champagne.”

Cheryl shakes her head. “I think I’m not drinking tonight,” she says politely. “But it is lovely to see you.”

“The Lady Gómez wanted me to tell you that she has headed to her chambers for the night. She said she felt quite ill.” Heather pours a glass for herself.

“Oh?” Cheryl asks, frowning in concern. “I shall send my medical staff to care after her at once.”

Heather purses her lips. “Your highness, if you ask me it was but a green disease caught.”

Cheryl’s eyebrows raise. “A green...envy?”

Heather nods. “She saw you and Antoinette dancing closely earlier tonight and claimed to feel ill.” 

“And you?” the princess prompts. You’re not sick with that same fever?” 

“No, your highness. I know we’re meant to be together. We always have been.” She squeezes Cheryl’s hand, bring it to her lips to leave a gentle kiss. “I have nothing to be jealous of.” 

Cheryl scolds herself for feeling hesitant. This is your Heather! she reminds herself. The one you love so much, your nearest ally since childhood. The girl you lost your innocence to just this morning. 

“Right,” Cheryl says more convincingly. “If you’ll excuse me, Lady Montgomery, I must retire to my chambers. I feel exhaust—”

“So I can’t persuade you to spend the night with yours truly?” Heather says with a charming smile, fixing her golden locks behind her shoulders. 

“I’m afraid not tonight, Heath,” Cheryl says with a yawn, letting go of her hand. “Have a lovely sleep.”

Heather steps toward her and curtsies, bowing her head to level with Cheryl’s midsection before slowly standing upright again with a smirk. “As you command, my princess.”

As Heather exits, Cheryl turns to search the dance floor for Antoinette with no results. Instead of rejoining the ball, the princess remembers her fatigue and journeys up the spiral to her chambers with a hand on her assistant’s arm. 

As she arrives at her door, she sees a figure turned towards it, arm raised. Hearing her footsteps, the figure turns. “Princess Cheryl,” Antoinette says raspily. “I couldn’t find you after your announcement so I thought I’d check your quarters.”

Cheryl silently dismisses her assistant. “Lady Topaz,” she says with nervous excitement, suddenly energized and waving the girl through the door. “How can I help you?” she asks, following behind. 

“I had a lovely time dancing with you tonight, my princess,” Antoinette starts. “Could I sit?” she asks anxiously, motioning at the edge of the bed.

“Of course,” the princess answers, taking a seat at her vanity.

Antoinette bites her lip. “Actually, your highness, would you mind sitting by my side while I speak this once?”

Cheryl moves next to her on the bed, confused but not offended. “Whatever you wish to say, you are at will to do so.”

“Great,” Antoinette says, nodding, her eyes trained at the floor and her fingers weaving in and out in her lap. 

Cheryl waits a full minute in silence, wanting to make the girl feel comfortable. But there’s only so much waiting she can mentally handle, her brain whirring. “Antoin--”

“I think I’m in love with you.” Her gaze, focused on her lap, moves to meet the princess’s, searching for a sign of disapproval or disdain. Finding none, she continues. “I know it’s quite soon, but I generally prefer to put my feelings out there once I know they’re solid. And they are, my princess.”

Cheryl remains seated by her side, stunned, cheeks no doubt rosy.

“I don’t speak up all too often, when we’re in a group setting, and voice my admiration for you,” Antoinette goes on. “To be honest, most of the time, I don’t even know what to say, and when I do find something to say, I can’t bear the idea that it would be around the other girls and not with you alone.”

Cheryl forces a smile for the sake of the girl’s comfort. “I suppose this is the most I’ve heard you monologue since you arrived,” she says, laughing shakily.

“Yes, well...it had to be said, my princess. The way you treat your staff with such kindness, the way you handle palace affairs with such ease, the way you smile when you think no one notices…” Antoinette trails off. “I let myself be entranced with your every move.” Her words hang in the air as Cheryl processes them. “I’ve overwhelmed you, I can see that,” she says, getting up off the foot of the bed.

Cheryl throws a hand out to catch hers. “Stop. Royal order,” she says with a small smile. 

“There it is,” Antoinette says, breathing out in a sigh, pupils dilated as she holds the girl’s hand firmly. “Beautiful.”

“You haven’t overwhelmed me, Lady Topaz,” Cheryl says, pulling the girl to sit down again next to her.

“Good,” Antoinette says bravely, gently taking her hand out of Cheryl’s, “because I’m not finished. My whole life I’ve been known only as ‘Daughter of Antoinette the Magnificent’--promising heir to my territory. And titles aside, I’m not that when I’m with you.”

Cheryl fails to understand. “I’m not sure I--”

“It’s like you said earlier, at the ball,” Antoinette clarifies. “We’re each other’s equals. I’m no longer Antoinette Magnificent’s child, I’m my own person with you. It’s freeing, your highness, to be around you. I find myself wanting to be near you all the time.” She pauses. “Would you...be so generous as to let me in on how you feel at the moment?” she says with an open smile.

“My lady,” Cheryl responds. “Please don’t take my silence as indifference. Rather, I’m at a loss for words. You see, I’m still trying to get accustomed to the idea of someone charming, well-spoken, and attractive finding me the same.”

Antoinette licks her lips. “Do I know this woman you speak of? She sounds graceful.”

Cheryl laughs. “I like your humor very much, Lady Topaz. And yes, I quite enjoy your company.” She lets her eyes wander at the girl’s body. “As I enjoy the rest of you.”

Antoinette gasps playfully. “Your highness! How dare you reduce me to my model appearance?”

Cheryl accepts the joke, thinking for a moment. “What do you like about me?” she asks after a while.

The girl’s eyebrows raise. “Besides my prior outline of your disposition?”

“I mean....” Cheryl looks downward shyly. “Physically.” Even though as of this morning she isn’t a stranger to a woman’s touch, the princess has never had any such intimate conversation with anyone. 

Antoinette looks surprised. “You’re asking me how I find you attractive?”

“Humor me,” the princess says, growing embarrassed at her question. “Be honest, I want your thoughts. Only yours.” Cheryl gives her an expectant look. 

“Your eyes are chestnut orbs, your skin is white silk…” Antoinette drifts on.

“Be more sensual,” Cheryl prompts.

Antoinette looks genuinely surprised. “Forgive me, your highness, are you asking me to talk dirty to you?”

 

“If I were, would you do it?” Cheryl asks quietly.

“Pardon?” 

“No one’s ever said things of that nature to me before. Maybe I’m curious.”

Antoinette considers for a moment. “Well,” she begins, “I’m not sure how much of this is appropriate considering you’re of the highest position in the queendom, but...here goes.” She breathes deeply in and out. “You have an excellent set of bosoms and a backside to die for. My eyes draw to your thighs when you walk in the room, and I have trouble breathing when I see your legs move.”

Cheryl’s breath hitches, her body thrumming wildly. “Maybe it’s asthma. I’ll have the palace medical staff--”

“It’s not asthma.” Antoinette leans in closer to the girl, putting a hand on her thigh and moving it slowly back and forth a few times. “You’re the most magnetic woman I’ve laid eyes on.” She makes certain her voice has become a rasp and continues. “I would love nothing more than to know what you look like at the exact second I drive you to your climax.” Her eyes settle on Cheryl’s lips for the second time of the night.

“I think now you’ve overwhelmed me,” Cheryl concedes, struggling to control her breaths. “Maybe you should stop.”

“Maybe you should make me,” Antoinette advises, moving her hand up higher and higher on Cheryl’s thigh before squeezing it gently.

All other thoughts leave the princess’s mind, her lust for the girl in front of her is the only remaining. Antoinette tilts so far forward that Cheryl can feel the slightest breath of fresh mint on her mouth. 

Suddenly Cheryl pulls away, getting off the bed and running to the door. 

Antoinette feels cold. “Jeez, was I that bad?”

Cheryl turns the lock into place and walks back over to the bed. “I don’t like to be interrupted, Lady Topaz,” she husks, swinging a leg over Antoinette’s sitting position and straddling her eagerly. She stares into the girl’s dark eyes. “Can I kiss you, my lady?”

Antoinette’s hands find the back of Cheryl’s shoulders and massage them intensely. “You…” she says lowly, “can do whatever you want with my body.”

Cheryl’s lips slowly morph into a smirk. “Then I will.” She reaches behind and grabs Antoinette’s hands off of her back, intertwining them with her own and toppling them forward until she can grind into the girl’s heaving body. She fumbles for the zipper on Antoinette’s dress, ripping the fabric in the back without a care in the world. Her own dress flies off soon after, Antoinette fighting for dominance after finally succeeding to rid the girl of her clothes. “Hm, no,” Cheryl says. “I’m in charge.” She buries herself into Antoinette’s neck, whispering words of affection and licking the hot skin onto her tongue. Pulling away, she hovers above the girl’s face, heart beating in her stomach. “Ready for our first kiss?” 

Antoinette nods furiously, head on the pillow. 

As if in slow motion, Cheryl closes the distance between them. The girl’s lips feel so much softer than she had imagined, safe yet exciting all at once. She groans into Antoinette’s mouth as the girl’s hand cups her backside and squeezes. After a moment she decides to slide her tongue into Antoinette’s mouth, feeling the girl’s intrigued reaction. 

She pulls away, wiping saliva off her own lips and locking eyes with her. “You’re good, Antoinette,” she admits. 

“Th-thank you,” she replies breathlessly. “You’re not too bad yourself, my heir.”

The princess admires the way her hair is spread out like a mess over Cheryl’s own pillow, the way her breasts move as her chest heaves with every shift on the bed, the way her legs squirm, trying to lock Cheryl into place. 

It happens upon her like a flicker of memory, an angel on her shoulder trying to knock the devil off. “Antoinette, there’s something I have to tell you.”

Antoinette, not sensing her expression, keeps moving her hands over Cheryl’s backside. “Mhm, what is it?”

“I had sex with Lady Montgomery.” 

Antoinette’s hands still. 

Cheryl feels her heart in catch her throat. “This morning. After I visited your chambers.”

Antoinette looks like she’s thinking. “And...why are you telling me this now?”

“You’re not surprised?” The princess asks curiously. 

“I mean, I kind of figured something went down between you and her, but...don’t ask, don’t tell, right? You’re the princess.” Antoinette seems to be maintaining her cool. “Were you a virgin before?”

“Yes,” Cheryl answers guiltily. 

“Hey,” Antoinette says with determined eyes, reaching up to comb a strand of red hair behind Cheryl’s ear. “There’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’m not under you right now because I think you’re some Virgin Mary.”

“Is that a cocktail?” Cheryl whispers in confusion.

Upon noting that the palace doles out limited religious education, Antoinette continues. “I’m doing this with you because I want you. You!” She puts her hands to the back of Cheryl’s neck and pulls her in for a kiss. “I’m clean, by the way. I got tested before I came to the palace.”

 

Cheryl settles back against Antoinette’s body comfortably. “Promise you haven’t had affairs with Paulina or Elizabeth since you got here?”

Antoinette laughs. “That I can promise. Or anyone. Though by the way your cousins looked at me, you’d almost think they had.”

“What do you mean?” the princess asks her.

“They looked oddly content when they spotted me at the ball tonight. Especially when you and I joined arms,” Antoinette says, reaching up to play with Cheryl’s hair.

Cheryl shrugs. “It was probably nothing. Now, where were we?”

Antoinette knots her fingers in Cheryl’s orange locks. “I believe I had some unfinished business with the Princess,” she says, deepening her voice, “so I’d really like to finish.”

Cheryl is ravenous. “You will, Antoinette. That is for certain.” She unhooks the girl’s sheer bra, tossing it off the bed, and lets the girl drag her downwards to her chest, her hands relaxing out of Cheryl’s scalp once Cheryl’s lips meet her breasts. “Mm,” Cheryl herself moans, greeted with the soft, hot, open vulnerability of the girl beneath her.

Antoinette’s eyes close in pleasure, taking in the sensation of Cheryl’s lips around her nipples and Cheryl’s tongue darting around the mounds. 

Cheryl trails teasing kisses down her bare chest, Antoinette groaning impatiently. “Please, your highness,” she breathes out.

“Using my. Title won’t. Get me to. Do this any faster,” Cheryl says, accenting her words with wet pecks above the girl’s flexing pubic bones.

Antoinette opens her eyes frustratedly. “I understand, my princess. I mean, after all,” she says as Cheryl pulls down her underwear inch by inch, “my ranking is...beneath you,” she tugs Cheryl up by the hair and whispers into her ear.

Cheryl shivers violently, losing her grip and falling flush against the girl’s body. “Fuck,” she growls heatedly, slithering back down Antoinette and spreading her legs, hands moving up her thighs tantalizingly. “I don’t know if you’re ready.”

“Feel it for yourself,” Antoinette says smugly, ridding herself of her underwear and arching upwards to near Cheryl’s face.

Cheryl doesn’t think she’s ever been more aroused with such little touch prior. She takes a deep breath in lets it out unintentionally over the girl’s center. 

“Holy shit, your highn--”

 

“I’m practically dining on you. You have permission to use my name.” She dips forward and takes her first lick into where Antoinette needs her, bending into a more comfortable permission as she focuses on pleasuring the girl underneath her. “You taste exquisite, Antoinette.”

“Th--that’s--oh--that’s good to hear,” she says, word processing skills failing her. 

“Do you know I thought of you?” the princess continues, savoring Antoinette’s arousal on her lips. “Last night, when I was alone here in my chambers, I thought of what it would be like to get you off.” She moves her mouth onto the girl’s clit, enveloping it intensely.

“Cheryl, ugh, don’t stop,” Antoinette’s moans are music to Cheryl’s ear, at last hearing her true name like a symphony spouted from her lover’s lips.

“I came three times,” Cheryl informs her, using her fingers on Antoinette’s entrance, “each time it was you that I imagined, falling apart against me.” She slinks up to level herself with the girl’s face, determined hand still winding around Antoinette’s clit. “You’re so hot, so hot like this.” 

Antoinette gasps for air as Cheryl grinds against her, clearly growing heated herself but never letting it distract her from the goal. 

“Beautiful, too,” Cheryl mewls in the girl’s ear, nipping at her earlobe. “I need to be up here when it hits you. I need to see your face.”

“S-some fantasy, Cheryl,” Antoinette gets out, biting her lip to prevent a string of curses from getting out as Cheryl works her harder, faster, higher.

“Oh, it’s no longer a fantasy, kitten. It’s my reality.” She sucks a dark mark into the girl’s neck, removing her fingers to lick them clean and letting her leg slip between the girl’s legs, flush against her center. 

Antoinette’s loud reactions become harder to control the closer she gets to her climax, lost between gripping the silk sheets and trying to get a hold on the moving Cheryl, grinding up into her. “I’m so-- ngh --so close, Cheryl—”

The princess stays quiet, rocking her thigh against Antoinette’s nerves, driving her higher with every thrust. Her eyes train on Antoinette’s face, wide eyes tearing and mouth dropping as she finally hits her peak, hips arching against Cheryl’s bare thigh. Cheryl smirks against her, mumbling praises under her ear, thrilled at the sight of the girl unraveling beneath her.

Antoinette settles out with a couple of ragged sighs, pleasure and relaxation coursing through her veins. “Thank you, your h—” she spots Cheryl’s pointed glare. “Cheryl. Thank you, Cheryl.”

Cheryl smiles, untangling herself from the girl and kissing her gently. “You were a great show, Antoinette.”

Antoinette kisses her back more passionately before pulling away, pulling on the princess’s lip. She flips the two of them over, relishing in the absolute power she has over the woman who will soon become queen. She had planned on taking things slow but once Cheryl started spinning her world out of control, everything changed. Now, Antoinette wants to show the princess how much she means to her as soon as humanly possible. 

She reaches down past Cheryl’s stomach to pull underwear down her legs, smoothing them up and down in wonder. “Even more stunning up close, my princess,” Antoinette says reflexively. Upon feeling the wetness of Cheryl’s center, she lets out a whistle. “You had a head start.”

Cheryl rolls her eyes. “Yes, well, I did get quite worked up moving against you.”

“I’ll say.”

“Are you going to do something about it, Lady Topaz? Or shall I finish it myself?”

Antoinette’s gaze darkens. “Oh, no, your highness. I’m getting there.”

“Fuck me now,” Cheryl commands impatiently, eyes unwavering. “Royal orders.”

The girl smirks, lowering herself to hover above Cheryl’s wet heat. “And what would happen if I disobeyed?”

“Immediate execution.”

“Or you could punish me in other ways,” Antoinette says, squeezing her beautiful thighs. “But more on that later.” She goes down on the princess, making contented hums as she licks the arousal from delicate folds. 

Cheryl’s heaving breaths turn into groans as Antoinette works magic, igniting the flames inside her body. “You’re g-good,” Cheryl stammers, forcing her eyes open, not wanting to miss the sultry look in Antoinette’s eyes as she gives her what she wants. What she needs. “Ugh, Antoinetttte…”

Antoinette responds by smiling against the girl’s center, pulling the clit into her mouth and varying pressure to drive her insane. 

“I’m—I’m almost there,” Cheryl says, spreading her legs further and arching upwards. “God this is so embarrassing.”

“No, it’s hot,” Antoinette corrects. “Besides, what makes you think we’re only going once?”

Cheryl shivers, her body speaking on its own, on the brink of orgasm.

“Come on, let go for me, babe,” Antoinette cooes to her. 

It only takes a couple more strokes for her fall apart, crying out loudly in pleasure, her beautiful neck exposed as she lays back, Antoinette helping her through the strong waves. 

Half a minute later the princess slumps flat against the bed, pulling Antoinette down next to her. She groans, sated. “That was phenomenal.”

Antoinette groans. “Yes, it was.” She kisses Cheryl languidly as if they have a hundred years until the next morn. “I can’t wait for round two. Hang on, I’ll just be a minute in the toilet if you don’t mind.”

Cheryl waves a hand to the bathroom with a yawn. “You’re dismissed.” As Antoinette strides to the bathroom and closes the door behind her, Cheryl pulls the covers closer to her naked body. 

How absurdly eventful has this day been, the princess reflects. Her first kiss with Veronica, her first time with Heather, dancing at the glamorous ball and ending up in the bedsheets with the woman who confessed her love moments before. What a busy girl, she thinks to herself, but I wouldn’t change it for a thing. The only pang of negative emotion she feels is the fact that she has to say goodbye to two of these women forever, especially the fact that either Antoinette or Heather must go by the end of the week. God, what’s taking Antoinette so long in the bathroom? Her sadder thoughts subside to exhaustion, and she wonders what would happen if she just turns a bit and lays her head sideways on the pillow, just for a minute until her lover gets back, only for a minute. 

She’s asleep faster than you can say “Antoinette.”


End file.
